Beauty and the Beast
by astavares
Summary: For the July Fic-a-thon from TDWP LJ Community. Summary: A beautiful orphan princess is under a spell, cast by a witch who fall in love with the princess, but was denied being with her loved one. Many years later, nearly losing her last straw of hope, her life is about to change when a merchant passed by her castle.


This is my entry for the July Fic-a-thon from TDWP LJ Community

Many many thanks to **obsidiana402** and **steph_more** for being my wonderful betas and a special thanks to my girlfriend, whose patience with me is infinite and when I was going crazy with this story, she had fed me sushi.

So, I'm very very so very busy with work and I couldn't finish it. I'll post what I have and I hope you'll like it.

Reviews are awesome, so don't be shy and let me know your thoughts about this story :D

Oh well, let's move on

**Title:** Beauty and the Beast

**Pairing:** Beauty and the Beast, of course

**Summary:** A beautiful orphan princess is under a spell, cast by a witch who fall in love with the princess, but was denied being with her loved one. Many years later, nearly losing her last straw of hope, her life is about to change when a merchant passed by her castle.

**Rating:** It's Disney, of course it's G.

* * *

**Part 1**

In a distant city in France, lived a beautiful princess in her castle, inherited from her parents. She had beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes which shone brightly in the moonlight and were the same shade as the sea. She lived under the care of a sorceress who, over time, developed an obsessive passion for the princess.

The young Miranda admired the sorceress, with her beautiful and extravagant dresses, which made her stunning. The witch used this to her advantage, trying to seduce Princess Miranda, so when the two were married, the witch would inherit the entire kingdom's wealth.

When Princess Miranda turned twenty one, the sorceress decided put her plan into action. She threw a party, offering everything Miranda liked, as a birthday gift. The princess' blue eyes sparkled with joy.

"Jacqueline, this is beautiful!"

"All this is for you, darling! Enjoy, the party is yours!"

"Thank you, thank you!" Miranda spoke, as she hugged the sorceress.

Seeing her chance, the sorceress tried to kiss her, and frightened, Miranda pulled away abruptly.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't you understand, princess, that we were destined to be together?" She replied, with a malicious smile.

Confused, Miranda squinted, and said. "But you're like my mother to me!"

The sorceress pulled her by the waist. Very slowly, looking in the blue eyes that she obsessed over, she whispered. "I am not your mother." And with that, she tried to grab her again.

Princess Miranda broke free and tried to run from the sorceress, the witch cast a spell to prevent her escape.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

"No, you will be mine forever!"

"No, release me, please!"

Shaken by the fact that her desire was not returned, the sorceress let the princess go, but when Miranda was about to reach the stairs that lead to her quarters, the sorceress screamed furiously.

"If you won't be mine, you won't belong to anyone else!"

Miranda turned on her heels. "What?"

The distraught sorceress let out several powerful lightning bolts, scaring the princess. Her eyes were red with rage, her hair blowing with the magical wind that came along with the lightning, her voice hoarse and loud. Staring unblinking at Miranda, she cast the spell that would change her life forever.

"You will be unable to enjoy your beauty. You will live alone forever. Your heart will be cold and your life will be joyless. You will be destined to be a beast until you find your true love. But," laughing, the witch continued, "who could fall in love with a cold-hearted beast?"

Miranda had no time to say anything in response. She felt her whole body burning; her heart beat harder, the blood was rushing faster through her veins. The pain she felt was immense, her body seemed to be ripping itself apart. Her spine seemed to shrink while her arms were stretching. Her legs seemed heavier and hurt like hell. The feeling of burning was rising up her neck, which seemed wider, and to her face. Her throat was dry and the pain finally won.

She roared like a beast.

* * *

In a distant village, lived a merchant, Richard Sachs, with his three daughters, Alicia, Amanda and Andrea. The merchant always traveled to support his daughters because his wife died when Andrea, the youngest, was still a child.

Alicia and Amanda liked luxury and enjoyed the festivals and parties the kingdom promoted. Richard worked hard, because he thought that providing all the things that his older daughters liked would help soothe the pain of the loss of their mother.

On the other hand, Andrea stayed mostly at home, cooking, doing laundry and so on. She helped her father in the grocery store where they worked too. Richard had employees at the shop, but Andy, as she was known by neighbors, said she liked to help, because it felt good to be useful.

When Richard returned from each trip, he usually brought various gifts for his daughter, but Andy was always happiest when he brought her books. She was adored by her father and put up with the jealous comments of her sisters, on the fact that she was their father's favorite.

Andy thought it was absurd, because she believed that a father never loves one child more than another, and she just ignored her sisters. She was content to help her father but she anxiously awaited the day she would meet a prince and they would have a family. And once again her sisters insisted on tormenting Andy with their comments, since they both were surrounded by suitors and Andy had none.

It was clear that the comments were unfounded. Andy had many admirers, who always went to the grocery store just to see her, but the girl was too focused on her books to notice the glances and the compliments she received, especially from the young Nathan. Nathan was an only child, the same social class that Andy was and had always been in love with the brunette. He became interested in books after having met her, so that way, they always had something to talk about.

Andy loved his company, but just because she liked having someone to share her thoughts, her dreams and her favorite books with.

"One day I will meet a prince and he'll take me away on his white horse!" Andy laughed.

Nathan gave a rueful laugh, because it was more proof that Andrea was not in love with him. "I already have a white horse."

Andy punched him lightly on his shoulder. "You're my best

friend, Nate. You know that."

"And you know I'd do anything for you, if you were my wife."

"Your friendship is more important than any gold. Never forget that."

Smiling sheepishly, Nathan agreed. "I promise I will not forget."

* * *

One day, an accident at the grocery store made Andrea's family lose everything. The fire burned the entire installation and Andy nearly died. The sisters blamed Andy, saying she caused the fire but she never complained, accepting all accusations. Richard knew that his youngest daughter would never do anything like that and tried at all costs, to cheer her up whenever possible; bringing her the booklets and magazines he could afford with the shillings he received.

Alicia and Amanda continued their routine of waking up late and not helping out with the housework; they only complained that they had no new clothes and shoes to wear and no parties to go to. And, whenever possible, they were bullying Andy.

"Look at her, so ridiculous with her face always buried in those silly books." Alicia said, pointing to her books.

"Even after having caused the accident that left us poor, she's still only reading." Amanda continued.

But Andy would just go to her bedroom, where she would ask her guardian angel to help her father to rebuild the grocery store. And she hoped that her prince would come pick her up soon.

"Do not worry, Andy. We will rebuild." Richard said, while hugging his daughter.

Andy returned the hug, burying her face in her father's chest, so he would not see her tears. "I know that, Dad. I trust in the Good Lord."

"I have good news. I will travel tomorrow to do business again and rebuild the grocery store. We'll be fine, my angel, I promise."

Just before the trip, Richard asked his daughters what they wanted him to bring them.

"The most beautiful dresses!" Alicia said.

"The most beautiful shoes!" Amanda completed.

"And you, Andrea? Want anything?" Her father asked again.

"Nothing, dad. Just for you to come back to me." And then she hugged her father.

"Don't you want new books? I can bring as much as you want!"

"Yes, daddy, I know you can and you always bring me wonderful books. But bring me a rose as a gift instead."

"I will bring the most beautiful rose that I find." Placing a kiss on his daughters' foreheads, he said goodbye.

"Goodbye, Daddy! Good luck!"

* * *

Luck was on the Sachs' side and Richard managed to do great business. On the way back home, he tried to take a shortcut going down a different path, but got lost, ending up in front of a beautiful castle, which had a huge garden full of roses.

At that moment he remembered Andrea's request and stopped his buggy. One of the rosebushes was so great that it had several branches falling over the railing of the garden outside the castle.

He got off the wagon and pulled out a small knife that was in his waistband, cutting a branch with a rose. However, as he was cutting the branch, he felt he was being watched.

Looking around to make sure, Richard slowly pulled his sword. When he did not see anything or anyone, he returned to the rosebush.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Richard was paralyzed. The voice was terribly scary, but nothing compared to the owner of the voice. At the door of the castle, was a figure that looked half wolf, half human, but he was not sure, it was huge and her blue eyes shone like beacons, but the look was cold and the posture of the creature was threatening.

"Excuse me; I had no intent to damage your garden. This is just a rose for my daughter, who is waiting for me."

The creature began to descend the stairs, towards the garden door. Richard feared for his life and held firm his sword, but did not wield it, for fear of the creature's reaction. When the creature came face to face with Richard, it only whispered.

"You are destroying private property."

Richard stared at the creature, his mouth open. His suspicions about the creature being half wolf were confirmed, or at least, the features were canine. It was elegant, had a higher stance, but what really surprised him was the fact that the beast had the shape of a woman's body.

She wore pants and a shirt that were designed for a man along with a cape, but the way she walked and even the way she looked (especially the breasts) identified the creature as a female. The hair was brown on the paws, legs and arms, but at the neck it seemed to turn more golden with gold and silver gathered on her forehead and visible beneath the cape's hood.

The Beast was scary, but she was also incredibly beautiful.

Richard came back to reality when the beast lowered her head, so she could be face to face with him again, and asked in a tone colder than the Arctic. "What do think you're doing, cutting my roses?"

The voice, although harsh and severe, was certainly female.

"I'm sorry ma'am, it was just a gift for my daughter."

The Beast growled, but she was inclined to believe him. She felt no deceit coming from the man in front of her; just slight anxiousness, probably because he wanted to go home immediately. But when she saw that Richard held a sword, she grabbed him by the collar, took his sword and threw it away.

"You came to kill the beast, don't you?" Beast gritted her teeth.

"This story of a rose for a daughter was a lie!"

"No, I never thought to kill you! I got scared, not knowing what you were!"

"You will stay here and be my slave."

"No! Please I have three daughters to support! I'll do anything for you if you let me live! Anything!"

"Bring me one of your daughters and she will take your place."

The Beast smiled and made a noise resembling a laugh, but humorless. "It will be one less mouth for you to feed."

"But how will I do that?"

"Write a note and attach it to the horse. Send him back to your house. Your daughters will read it and one of them will come to take your place."

And so it was done. The Beast took Richard to the attic, while Phillipe, the horse that was pulling the buggy, returned home with Richard's note stuck to his saddle.

* * *

When Andrea heard the noise coming from outside, she ran to the door.

"My dresses!" Alicia yelped.

"And my shoes!" Amanda yelped too, running with her sister.

"Daddy is back!" Yelped Andrea, opening the door with the biggest smile in the world, which soon disappeared from her face when she only saw the horse. She ran toward the animal, to see if he was hurt.

"Phillipe, where's Daddy?"

The horse jerked, causing the note to drop from his saddle.

Alicia saw the note and read it aloud.

"My daughters, I was trapped in a castle by a wild beast, while picking a rose, and it said it would release me only if I trade places with one of you. I'm afraid of what might happen to me."

Andrea swallowed. It was her fault that her father was captured by a horrifying beast.

Alicia has been adamant. "I will not. I didn't ask for a rose…"

"I will." Andy said decisively.

"Of course it is you who will. This is entirely your fault!"

Andy ignored her sisters and got on Phillipe. "Take me to this castle, Phillipe. I have to save my father."

Phillipe scampered toward the dark castle and the Beast that lived there.

Arriving at the castle, Andy saw that the gate was open, as well as the door of the castle. She walked slowly, carefully eyeing the place, which seemed to be abandoned for years.

She felt she was being watched, but saw neither people nor any beast.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

The castle door shut, making a loud noise. Andrea jumped, scared, but continued her journey inside the castle, trying to find her father.

"You! What are you doing here?"

Andy turned and finally came face to face with the Beast, her astonishment was palpable. "I'm Andy. Andrea. I came to stay as your slave, taking my father's place."

"Andréa." The Beast said and looked as if it was examining Andy and the girl felt uncomfortable, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Then you will be my slave from now on." Looking over the young girl's shoulders, Beast ordered. "Bring him in."

A few seconds later, Andy's father appeared in the room.

"Andy! No!" Richard ran and hugged his daughter. "Not you, I- I thought none of you would come!"

"Do not worry, Dad. I'll be fine." Andy said, giving him a sad little smile. "I couldn't leave you here when it was my fault."

"You said you have daughters to take care of, then you will go through that door," Beast pointed to a door near the end of the hall, "and you can take anything you can carry with you."

Richard did as ordered, grabbed one of the bags that was thrown on the ground and took all the gold he could with him. At least he could put food on the table for a few days while making a plan to get Andy back.

"Now go away!" the Beast yelled. "The agreement cannot be undone!"

Richard looked over at Andy, his eyes brimming with tears. Andy gave him a smile that she hoped was reassuring her father that everything would be okay.

"Go Daddy, take care of my sisters! I love you forever!"

Richard ran out the door, promising to himself that he would seek his daughter and kill the Beast, if necessary. He would never leave his daughter behind.

* * *

Beast and Andrea looked at each other for a few minutes, Beast with the same look, as if analyzing every inch of the girl in front of her. Andrea did her best not to wince at the looks she received, but at the same time, seemed delighted by Beast' blue eyes.

Two servants, a bald man and a redheaded woman appeared behind Andrea and she felt something licking her leg. An enormous puppy was beside her and she screamed.

"Oh, stop it, it's just a dog." Beast waved. Looking towards the dog, she hissed. "Patricia back to the room. Now."

The dog quickly left the hall, running up the stairs.

"Take her away. Show her to the guest room. Get her some clothes, so she can have a bath or something." Looking over Andrea, Beast ordered. "Then she will come to dine with me."

The bald man answered. "Yes, your Highness."

"Andréa?"

Andy stopped instantly and turned to face her mistress.

"Yes?"

"Tomorrow I want the whole house clean."

"Yes, your Highness."

"And never," Beast's blue eyes looked straight into the girl's brown ones, "never approach the second floor East Wing. Do you hear me? Never."

"So, it isn't the whole house, your Highness."

The bald man and the redhead giggled. Beast heard, of course, and glared at both of them. "Something's funny?"

"No, your Highness." The trio chorused.

Nodding, Beast dismissed them. "That's all."

* * *

Richard rode as fast as he could, and when he and Phillipe finally arrived at the village, he tried to call all his friends to help him to rescue Andrea from the Beast's castle.

"My friends, the Beast, which lives in the forest, took my Andrea! Please help me bring her back home! "

Nathan was the first to get up and said he was going to help.

Even with Andrea refusing to marry him, he could not leave his best friend at the mercy of an unknown monster.

"Sir Sachs, I'm going with you! Andy made me promise that I would never forget that she is my friend. I will do everything to save her life."

"Thank you, young man. My daughter is everything to me."

Richard replied to the boy, his eyes filled with tears, the pain of knowing that his daughter was in danger was destroying his heart.

Other men joined them both and they met at Nathan's house, trying to come up with a rescue plan.

* * *

In the castle, Nigel and Emily, the two servants who were still with the Beast, showed the castle to Andrea. She seemed delighted with everything and at the same time, scared.

"You do not need to worry. She will not do anything to you unless you provoke her. "

Andy stopped in her track. "She?"

Emily rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. "Of course, or you thought it was a 'he'?"

"Um." Andy remembered Beast's voice. It really was a female voice, the mannerisms, the look...

Nigel looked at the two as if they were in the middle of a conspiracy. "She was not always like that, you know." He whispered.

Emily's eyes widened and hit Nigel on the shoulder. "Shut up! You have no right to talk about it. You have no right to think of it!"

"Think about what, Emily?"

The three looked back and came face to face with the Beast.

"Think about what you'll say to Andrea about where the cleaning products she will need tomorrow are."

"Nigel?"

"Yes Your Highness. Emily and I were just showing Andrea the compartments of the castle."

"You both are dismissed. I'll take Andrea to her room myself."

Emily and Nigel only bowed their heads and said in unison.

"Yes Your Highness."

"That's all."

Andrea stood, head bowed, shaking hands, not knowing what to do. Beast watched her calmly. Andrea was beautiful, was delicate. Beast smiled, remembering that she had ordered her to clean the whole castle the next day. With these hands ... And she had beautiful hands.

Beast, without thinking, gently grabbed the young woman's hand and gently stroked it. The skin was soft and smelled good.

"Come on, Andrea. I'll show you your room."

Andy looked up, a bit confused by the difference in the tone of the Beast. "Sure, Your Highness."

From around the corner, Nigel and Emily watched their master lead Andrea to the room which the young woman would occupy. Nigel let out a soft "Oh my God!", but still loud enough to draw Emily's attention.

"What now?"

"Look at where she is taking Andrea!"

"No! She will not do it!"

"Yes, she led Andrea to her old room."

Beast leaned against the door as Andrea inspected the room, gaping, at both the luxury and beauty.

"If you open the closet you'll find several dresses. You can use them." Beast hesitated, but made up her mind. "You'll be my guest."

Andrea smiled and ran to the closet. "Oh, they are beautiful!"

She touched the dresses, sensing their texture. "They are so exquisite! None more beautiful than the other! Thank you!"

Beast cleared her throat. "Well, you will need clothes; you won't always use the same dress."

Closing the closet door, Andrea lifted her eyes to Beast's. "Yes, yes. But..."

Sensing her confusion, Beast waved her hand, prompting the brunette to continue "But?"

Andrea bit her bottom lip and shrugged. "I thought I would be your slave, as Your Highness said when I arrived."

"Do not worry about it, Andréa. Take your time. Dinner is at eight."

And with that, Beast left Andrea alone in the huge bedroom.

* * *

At eight, Andrea went downstairs for dinner in a blue dress because the shade reminded her of the eyes of the beast.

When she reached the stairs, Beast was at the foot of the stairs. Her clothes, Andy realized, were made for a man, but they were well tailored and she could not help thinking how elegant Beast looked. Beast was in the same blue pants she was wearing when the young woman arrived, but now the shirt was black with a blue suit jacket, the same color as the pants. This time, Andy could see the fur that was previously hidden by the hood. The light of the chandeliers in the room gave a special glow to the silvery beams and she found herself smiling at Beast.

Beast did not know what to do, because she was already at the table half an hour before the appointed time. When she heard Andréa opening and shutting her bedroom door, Beast was readily waiting for her on the stairs. When she saw her, and saw she was wearing her favorite dress, a blue one that was made especially for her because of the color of her eyes, she couldn't help the warmth growing in her heart.

But the gown on Andréa was breathtaking. Her dark hair contrasted with the pale blue from the dress. And the smile was the girl's charm. Beast was always alone, did not like visitors, but something in Andrea had made her desire to be alone disappear. Beast would do whatever was possible (and impossible) for Andrea to never desire to leave.

Tentatively, Andrea descended the stairs. When she approached Beast, she had rosy cheeks and the Beast could not stop smiling. She offered her arm.

"Good evening, Andrea."

"Good evening, Your Highness." Andy took her arm and the two headed for the table.

"You are very beautiful."

Andrea blushed, embarrassed by the praise, but smiled.

"Thank you. Y-you are very pretty, too."

Beast gasped but just nodded. Andrea pulled out and sat on the chair next to the one that was at the head of the table, where Beast was seated.

Nigel and Emily soon appeared with food and silently served Beast and Andrea. Beast watched Andrea's reaction, who seemed delighted with the variety of food. Nigel and Emily left soon after; Beast just nodded, a gesture of approval of the food her employees had prepared.

"Help yourself, Andrea." Beast gestured to the food in front of them. "You can eat whatever you want."

"Thank you."

Andrea served a portion of rice, a piece of ham and some boiled potatoes. When she picked up her cutlery, Beast understood she had finished up and then began to serve herself using her claws; breaking off a piece of ham and putting it on her plate. Andrea was startled by the gesture, but soon turned her attention to her food. Beast sighed and explained.

"You must realize that I cannot use cutlery" And gestured with her paws. Smiling sheepishly, Beast continued, "I broke most of the cutlery trying to find a way to use it, but in vain. In this case, for me, it is useless. I apologize if I look like a Neanderthal."

"Do not worry. I was merely surprised." Andy smiled.

Beast nodded again, and returned to her food, tearing chunks of ham and devouring them.

The rest of the dinner passed in complete silence; Andrea accustomed to having to ignore her sisters' acid comments during meals, and Beast used to always dining alone. The silence was not uncomfortable for either of them; it gave them time to think about what their lives would be like from that day forward.

Beast discreetly watched Andrea. The girl was not afraid of her, she was sure; Beast could smell the fear off a person from a few feet away. Not knowing what the girl thought about her, Beast was curious to ask. Beast knew she was intimidating, mainly because of her eyes, the icy stare which had been in place for the last ten years. Ten years, living with this gruesome appearance, her heart without love, her life empty, as the sorceress had condemned. Somehow, Beast did not yet understand why, Andrea made her heart a little less cold.

Andrea in turn, tried to imagine what had happened to the Beast for her to end up this way. She looked like a creature from evil, or a demon. But when she was near the Beast, she felt her loneliness and somehow she understood her life; her own was similar. Nathan was her only friend, but he wasn't the company that her heart craved.

She stopped eating and looked at her company. The sadness she saw in Beast's countenance hurt her heart. If her destiny was to live in the castle forever, she would make it her mission for Beast to never feel alone or unloved.

At this moment, Beast raised her head and her blue eyes met Andrea's chocolate ones. They both smiled and knew this was the beginning of their new lives.

After they finished dinner, Beast excused herself and retired for a few minutes. Meanwhile, Nigel returned with a tray with various sweets.

"You can get comfortable. Just do not eat the cherry candy," Nigel pointed to a bowl of candy, "these are hers. She is a beast if they disappear." He narrowed his eyes and gestured with his hand. "Oh well, she is already a beast."

With those words, the open expression Andrea had, changed. "Do not say that! She is not a beast. I'm sure any harm that has been inflicted on her, she did not deserve. She has been very kind to me."

"Glad you're happy with your stay here, Andréa." Beast whispered, standing just inches away from the young woman.

"Oh, of course Your Highness. Everything has been wonderful."

"Good, good." Beast looked at the bowl with the cherry candy and smiled instantly. She picked up the bowl and dismissed Nigel with a nod. "Um. .. I'm going for a walk, in the garden, feel free to accompany me or if you want to return to your room, that's okay too."

Andrea yawned and looked at the clock on the wall. Almost ten o'clock at night. "I think I will retire to my room, if Your Highness does not mind. I'm tired and sleepy." Andy smiled sheepishly.

Beast tried to hide her disappointment, but she had to agree that the girl looked tired and she had started yawning shortly after they finished dinner. "Okay. See you tomorrow then."

"Yes. Good night, Your Highness." Andrea bowed.

"Good night, Andrea. Hope you have a good night's sleep."

* * *

The next day, Emily found Nigel talking to himself in the kitchen, as he wiped the dishes.

"What happened? Going mad finally?"

"No. I spent the night thinking about something." He said, handing a plate to Emily, so she would put it in the china cupboard.

Emily just put the dish on the table. "Spit it out."

"I think Andrea might be the one to break the spell. What do you think?" Another dry dish handed to Emily…

…Who promptly threw it on the table. "I think I was right, you finally have gone mad!"

"Don't you see how Her Highness is around her? She is less, um, what can I say, beastly. "

"You know I do not like these jokes, Nigel. You must respect Her Highness."

"I didn't mean disrespect, Emily. But, I believe that Andrea is the person for whom Her Highness has been waiting."

"I don't want to think or speak about this anymore and you should do the same." Emily shouted, taking the cloth from Nigel's hands and hanging it on the hook. She collected the dishes and put them one by one in the cupboard, continuing her tirade. "This is Her Highness' particular issue. I don't think she'll be happy to know that you are intruding on her private life!"

"You know very well that it affects us too, or did you forget that we are the ones that decided to stay? Her Highness is not the monster she seems."

Emily's eyes widened. "Of course not!"

"Can you let me finish talking first?" Emily rolled her eyes, but nodded. "So. Her Highness is not a monster and deserves to be happy. Andrea can give her that. "

"But ... but Andrea ..." Emily approached Nigel, looking around, confirming that no one was listening to their conversation, and whispered. "Andrea is a girl. Her Highness is a woman. How can this work?"

Nigel smiled. "Ah, kid... Love is a mystery that will never be solved."

* * *

Beast could not sleep, thinking about the young woman who was in her old bedroom, in the other hallway. She knew that Andrea wasn't repulsed by her; she was gentle, even after the turmoil that resulted in bringing the girl to the castle. Beast tried to understand how she felt about Andrea and wasn't too happy with the result. Her heart already belonged to the young girl, whether she wanted it to or not.

Beast left her room, and began pacing the halls. Which is where Nigel found her.

"Your Highness knows what to do, no?"

Beast sighed. "I don't think it is a good idea, Nigel."

"But don't you think she could break the spell?"

"Of course I thought about it, I'm not an idiot!"

"My apologies, ma'am. She isn't scared of you, or grossed out."

At the "grossed out" part, Beast rolled her eyes. "Oh, how flattering."

Nigel smiled. "Why don't you try to woo her? Do something she would like."

"I… I'll think about it. Good night, Nigel."

"Good night, Your Highness." Nigel bowed slightly.

Of course, that was easier said than done.

Beast locked herself in her office to think about what Nigel had told her the night before. She couldn't think of anything that would captivate Andréa.

"Think, think!"

But then Beast was disturbed by a commotion outside her office.

_Meanwhile_

"I just want to see what's in there!"

"No, no, you just can't go in there!"

"I hate to, but this time I have to agree with Emily. You just can't. Please!"

"What is so important about this side of the castle?" Andy asked, truly curious to know what the big deal was about the East Wing.

"Nothing!" Emily exclaimed. "But it will be trouble if you go. Please, Andrea!"

"Oh, is that a horse?!"

"Where?" Both Emily and Nigel turned around and Andy took the opportunity to run towards the stairs and then, go into the East Wing, the forbidden area of the castle.

Andy stared at the walls, full of images of beasts, demons and other evil creatures and just seeing this made her shudder, but she didn't stop. She went further and further, until she spotted a weakly flashing light near the end of the hall. Her curiosity won and she went to investigate the light.

To her surprise, this room was completely destroyed, curtains ripped, the bed in pieces and a portrait, still hanging on the wall, ripped in two. Only one piece of furniture was still intact: a little table with a rose, under a vase. The rose seemed to be floating on the table and some petals had fallen. She reached out to take the vase off of the rose when the door flew open.

"Stop right there!"

She turned, her eyes widening when she realized that Beast was growling over her, her eyes wild with anger.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I didn't know it was-"

"I said this side of the castle was forbidden! Are you deaf?"

Andy bowed her head and mumbled. "Sorry-"

"Leave!" Beast yelled.

"Your Highness!"

Beast used her scariest voice. "Leave right now! Get out of the castle! I don't want to see you anymore!"

When Beast said the last phrase, Andy didn't know why, but it was like her heart was ripping apart. She sobbed, and crying, ran away from Beast and the castle.


End file.
